Starts With One
by Maybe Now
Summary: --part ii, scorpius' point of view, is now up-- She could almost taste the words he was about to let surface: “I’m different.” “I promise.” -rose/scorpius: a bit of drabble, a bit of plot
1. Chapter 1

AN: so here's something random, but once I started writing it I couldn't stop. I've wanted to write a Rose/Scorpius for awhile now.

**read and review**, please! I want to know what you think.

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**Starts With One**

**part i**

Her eyes were shut, but she could still see him.

He was looking at her with hooded eyes, a hand halfway extended, unsure.

He was nothing but serious, the night casting deep shadows to the hollows of his cheeks.

She could almost taste the words he was about to let surface: _"I'm different."_

"_I promise."_

~-~

**5.**

He had her cornered again, and this time she was having difficulty finding a way out.

"Answer me," he commanded with folded arms and a frown.

She scrambled, looking at the Potion ingredients scattered on the table in front of them.

"I, um, I mean I fail to find the relevancy," she finished primly, busying her hands by putting a rogue stopper in an open bottle.

A ghost of a smile flickered on his lips, and she tried not to look.

"So I can't even ask you a simple question? And here I thought after six years…" he said lowly, and she knew that his gray eyes were daring her to disagree.

"That what?" she replied shortly, brown eyes meeting his. "We'd be best of pals and we'd skip off into the sunset?"

His eyes turned to steel, but he smirked at her.

He didn't say anything immediately, but the time in between was enough to make her feel like that was the worst possible way to fire back.

His eyes actually dropped their gaze for a brief second, shaded by an overhanging piece of blond hair before looking back up at her.

"Albus doesn't seem to have an issue."

It was a change of tone, a change of subject, and the fact that he knew that she knew what he was talking about meant it was supposed to be a challenge, she was sure, but his low voice made her chest twinge.

"I'm not Albus," she stated slowly. He blinked.

He gave her a reproachful stare. "I know that," he articulated clearly.

His hands gripped the edge of the table across from her. "I… I know that you guys aren't as close now…" he trailed, voice going soft again.

Her eyes shut and she bit her lip.

She didn't like that soft voice. She wasn't used to it.

"We're going to be late to Charms," she said, eyes sweeping the mess on the Potions table they'd been ordered to clean.

"I don't care."

~-~

**3.**

"Hey Rose," came a familiar voice from behind her, and she could picture the exact way his neck would strain in the effort to catch up to her.

She'd only known him for all sixteen years she'd been alive.

When he came level with her, she could tell from his shortness of breath- he'd never been much of an athlete- she found herself staring at the ground, at the random passer-bys: anywhere but at him.

"Hey, Al," she said with a reluctant smile.

"Rose," he said warmly, and unwillingly she looked up at him. He was smiling, but she could see the nervousness written in his face.

"So," he smiled, "How have you been?"

She looked around her. "Oh, fine…" she replied distantly. She watched chatting students walk past her, and tried to remember if she'd forgotten to do any Transfiguration homework, even when she knew she'd finished it all.

She could feel his smile falter.

"Look, Rose…" he started, and her head throbbed. She was wondering when he'd attempt to make amends.

She raised a hand to her forehead. "No, Albus, you know what, it's none of my business. It's not like being your cousin entitles me to worrying about you, or anything, I should just stay away. I gathered from what he said that I wasn't allowed to know what the hell-"

"Rose, Scorpius didn't mean-"

"Don't try to tell me what he did and did not mean! I take his words at face value, Al, because there is _nothing_ else behind them. I thought you knew that, but obviously I was wrong. I don't even know how you became friends with him!"

Albus bristled beside her.

"Don't question me about Scorpius, Rose. He's a good person."

"Oh, yes, the best," she said, with as much sarcasm she could muster.

"Rose," he snapped, and when she looked at his green eyes and saw the hurt in them, guilt began to creep up on her.

"I don't know how you trust him, Al. Haven't you heard about some of the things his family has done-"

"I can't believe that you would hold him accountable for something he wasn't even alive for!"

"He was brought up by those same people!"

"Why does this argument come up now? Why not years ago?" he frowned at her.

His question irritated her.

"Because you weren't sneaking off with him after hours to do God knows what with your father's Cloak and Map that you stole! You never would do that! He's changed you, Al!"

Albus growled. "He has not _changed_ me! Christ, Rose, I though you knew me better than that! And for the record, I stole the Map and Cloak from Lily, who stole it from James, who stole it from my father. Which is different," he emphasized with some bite.

He looked back at her, his eyes darkening with his resolve. "You know this, and if you weren't trying to condemn Scorpius for whatever reason you wouldn't even question it!"

He was right, she knew, but this only fanned to flame.

"He's a Slytherin!" she hissed.

Albus let out a short, loud laugh. "Oh come on, Rose. You can do better than that."

"There's just something that I don't like about him, Albus! I can't exactly-"

"You know, I think this has more to do with you being afraid of Scorpius than you being worried for me." His eyes flashed at her challengingly, and she had to take a breath, realizing that he was serious.

"I am not _afraid_ of Malfoy-"

"That's not what I meant," he said, shaking his head. "You're scared that if you let your guard down, you'd like him too. Maybe you already do. Jesus, Rose, you must be scared to _death_."

Her pulse raced as she tried to deny it to herself.

"Look, Albus, I don't know what little scenarios you've been playing around with in your head, but you're off the wall with this one. Malfoy will never-"

"'I will never' what?" came a deep voice to the left, and she nearly jumped out of her skin, face unwillingly heating as she tried to pinpoint the time when he'd appeared. How had she not noticed? She could smell his unmistakable scent now, how had she missed it? Reflexively, she brought a hand up to her rapidly beating heart.

"Hey," he said lowly, and his tone compelled her to look at him. He touched the hand at her chest, fingers trailing down the back of her hand before dropping it. "Calm down."

Her hand felt hypersensitive, like it could feel the change in the air surrounding it.

"Hey Al," he said with a quick smile, to which Albus returned the greeting. The familiar and comfortable manner they addressed each other twisted something in her stomach.

"So," Malfoy started again, nudging her in the shoulder. She impulsively took her next step closer to Albus. "What will I never do?" he finished with a small frown.

"Nothing, just, nevermind," she replied, hurrying forward a few steps to beat them into the Transfiguration classroom.

She felt two sets of eyes boring into her back; one, she knew the expression they would take, but the other… She didn't know what emotion those would hold.

She never did.

~-~

**6.**

She knew that he was attractive; she was not blind enough to not admit to that.

But did she really have to think that he looked sexy while biting the end of his quill?

He was taller than her by almost a head, and he was as built as a Quidditch Beater should be. His gray eyes were penetrating, but proved time and time again to be impossible to penetrate. His light blonde hair was always a mess, giving a disinterested appearance. The bone structure of his face made him look refined.

His disposition imposed on her. She knew when he entered a room. She could smell him when he walked nearby. She could hear his voice across the hall.

The way he had been talking to her recently, after she found him with Al… He'd called her 'Rose' more than a few times. He was being civil, he was nice.

Had he always been that way, and she just hadn't seen it?

Or was there an ulterior motive?

_You can never trust a Malfoy_, her dad had told her. _They'll flip to whatever side'll give them what they want the quickest_, he'd warned.

Her dad had helped save the world from the most feared wizard in the universe.

Al told her to make up her own mind.

She was nothing but logical.

~-~

**1.**

It was late, past midnight, and Rose was sitting, partially concealed from the boy's dormitory staircase, in the common room.

She would have to be stupid not to realize how tired her cousin had been for the past week.

She was concerned. Albus had always been the purer one, a bit naïve, always the one to believe the best in anyone. Who knows what someone could have convinced him to do, she reasoned to herself, watching the dying embers in the fireplace across the room from her.

She wasn't interfering. She was just concerned for him.

Her body became still as footsteps dimly echoed down the spiraling stairs.

There was Albus, looking over his shoulder even in the seemingly empty, safe, common room as he crossed towards the portrait hole.

She held her breath. He was carrying a small bundle, in his other hand his wand.

One last glance over his shoulder, and he was out the portrait hole.

Without a second thought, she followed.

The portrait hole shut as softly as possible, she reasoned as she hugged the walls in her pursuit. She could see the light expelling from Albus' wand, illuminating his messy black hair, in front of her.

Where was he going?

Was he meeting someone?

Whatever it was, she vowed not to step in. She was merely curious. She wanted to make sure that he wasn't getting into something he couldn't get out of. She could do that. She was family, that was allowed.

They descended some stairs, and soon they were nearing the Hufflepuff common room. She'd dated someone who'd been in Hufflepuff.

Standing in the near distance, was a figure leaning casually against the wall.

Stopping, Albus clapped hands and shook with him.

"_Knox_" she heard him say, and the light went out, but not before she could see the identity of the person next to him.

What in the hell was Albus doing with him? This late at night?

She crept silently closer.

"… yeah, I sent it," she heard Al say. It?

She heard him sigh deeply before replying, "Okay. I mean, I didn't know if it would be read if it was sent otherwise…"

"Yeah, I understand."

"So, are you going to help me with this?" he asked Albus.

Rose was almost too close. She could smell his distinct scent now.

"Oh, yeah," he responded earnestly, and she grimaced.

"Thanks."

"So I brought some supplies to, you know, help us out," Albus said, and she could hear the smug smile on his face. "This is the best Invisibility Cloak you will ever know-" her mouth dropped open- "and _this_. This is invaluable. This map will blow your mind."

She couldn't believe him.

"_Lumos_!" , and two shocked faces were exposed.

Malfoy's eyebrows shot right up, smile sliding right off his face.

Albus looked confused, then angry.

"Rose, what are you _doing_-"

"No," she interrupted, her gaze was sure to be murderous. "What are _you_ doing?"

His chin jutted out. A glance showed Malfoy's eyebrows to now be furrowed, his mouth set in a straight line.

"It's none of your business," Albus replied.

"You were going to show him the map! Your dad's Invisibility Cloak!" she nearly yelled, eyes ablaze.

A hand shot out, fingers wrapping around her wrist to lower her wand. Her head whipped, mouth open to protest, but he cut her off.

"Sh," Malfoy said, raising a finger in front of his mouth. "Too loud."

She wanted to scream louder, but then they'd all be in trouble.

Maybe they were already were.

Albus was looking at the Map.

"Ah! Quick, guys, get under, get under!" he whispered hurriedly, gesturing frantically towards the outstretched cloak.

She let the light fade from her wand as Malfoy, not having let go of her hand, pulled her with him under the safety of the Invisibility Cloak.

His chin grazed her head as they stood, pushed together in the small confines of the cloak. Somewhere to her right, Albus whispered, "Teacher."

A light from down the hallway.

Footsteps.

Rose didn't get in trouble. She had a spotless record. Wishing she could melt, she moved impossibly more backwards into Malfoy's chest. An arm wrapped around her front, hand curling at her side, pulling her flush against him.

She could feel her heart in her ears that his slow breaths skated across.

The light passed them.

Footsteps faded.

The light disappeared around the corner.

After a few more seconds to ensure their safety, Rose threw the Cloak off from over them.

Quickly she created distance.

This time, she looked only at Malfoy.

"What the _hell_ is going on?"

"Easy, Rose," her cousin whispered. "Look, sorry, but it's really-"

"None of her business?" finished Malfoy, his voice hard. "We're wasting precious time, Albus. Get her out of here so we can finish this."

"_What_?" she hissed, looking at Albus.

He just shrugged and shook his head.

"Really, Rose, you need to get out of here."

He wasn't going to leave.

"I… I'll tell your Dad."

He frowned, but stared resolutely back at her.

"Fine."

She wouldn't anyway, but she was shocked as hell.

"Let's go," Malfoy said impatiently, grabbing Albus' arm.

"Go back," said Albus, and then they disappeared.

She couldn't follow them. She didn't know where they were.

~-~

**4. **

She tried not to stare at his perfectly sculpted forearm, visible from the way his long fingers had rolled up his sleeves a few minutes earlier, when they'd been assigned as Potions partners.

His veins stood up as he tried to hold the shriveled bean in one hand while cutting it, and she forced herself to look away.

Was she really admiring Scorpius Malfoy?

"Hey, could you get me another silver knife, Rose?"

The way his voice wrapped around her name had the hairs rising on her back.

She blinked at him.

He only stared, eyes endlessly deep as he looked back.

"Rose..?" he said leadingly, gesturing towards the cabinet.

She crossed her arms. "That's Weasley, to you," she said for good measure. She tried to recover her pulse.

A corner of his lips raised in a chagrin-filled half smile.

"Alright, Weasley then," he said, "Care to get me another knife? This one's dull."

"Well, fine," she conceded, and she left his probing, dark gaze.

~-~

**2.**

He shook his head.

"No, Rose, I can't tell you. Well, I could, but it's not up to me. Scorpius came to me, not you."

She ground her teeth. Albus could be impossibly righteous when he thought he had a cause.

"C'mon, Al, I'm worried to death about you. What have you gotten into. With _Scorpius Malfoy_?"

He sighed, running his hand through his hair across the table from her.

His green eyes sought hers. "Rose, don't push me on this. You don't have to worry, we weren't doing anything wrong. Dad would agree with me."

"How would you know," she spat, frustrated. It was like talking to a wall. "Nothing that you could be doing with the likes of Malfoy could be acceptable by anyone, let alone _your_ dad."

Albus' face rearranged into a frown, quickly.

"I think I know my dad a slight better than you," he returned, with some pride.

"Albus-"

"Now don't go bothering Scorpius about this, ok? This was hard enough for him as it is without you torturing him and holding him for a grueling inquisition."

"What was hard for him? Look, no matter what he told you, it's wrong. Don't listen to him, Al!"

"Don't act like you know him better than I do, Rose."

"Then answer my questions!"

"No!"

"Fine! We are not speaking, Albus, until you decide to change your mind!"

"Fine!" He spat, looking decidedly away.

As she got up from the table, she could feel herself starting to feel bad. Albus hated when people were angry at each other.

She tried to remind herself that this was for his own good, not her curiosity.

~-~

7.

She tried to remind herself that this was a good idea, meeting Scorpius on the grounds this late at night.

The moon cast shadows onto the hollows of his cheeks, and the shadow of his hair veiled his eyes.

He was looking at the ground, hands in his pockets, waiting for her on the steps.

Her pulse sped up.

She had to admit it to herself: she was dangerously attracted to Scorpius Malfoy. What would her father ever say if he knew?

"Hi," she said timidly as she stepped next to him.

His eyes, usually so solid, were unsure as they flicked to recognize her own.

"Hey,' he said, kicking a stone down the stairs.

They both listened until it hit the bottom.

"So…?" she said, trying to catch his gaze.

He looked back at her grimly.

"So," he said.

She sighed. "Malfoy…"

"Scorpius," he corrected.

She grimaced.

"Look, Rose…"

"Weasley."

"Rose," he maintained firmly, his mouth a firm line.

"Ok," she conceded with a sigh.

"So…" he began, and she could tell how difficult this was for him by the way he shuffled his feet, his irregular breathing, the way his hands fiddled in and out of his pockets.

She just looked at him.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"Look, I know that you don't trust me. Hell, I know that you don't like me. But I need you to know that I'm doing nothing to hurt Albus. I wouldn't… He's a good kid, Albus," and he gave her a small, nervous smile.

"Yeah, he is," she gave a small smile back.

His expression lifted, if only just a little bit.

"It's just… I know my family's done bad things, you know?" He didn't let her comment, it seemed he was going to keep going, and Rose didn't want to stop him.

"Sometimes not for the reasons everyone thinks, but still bad things, I know, and sometimes I feel like I can't escape it."

He looked so downcast, so sad, so troubled…

She just wanted to hold him together in her arms.

Irrational thought.

She closed her eyes.

"Look, but Rose…" he said,

And she could see him with a halfway outstretched arm, and she could almost taste the next words on his lips.

"I… I'm…" he paused.

He sounded so raw, so honest.

She wasn't used to it.

"I'm different," he said, sticking his chin out proudly, as if daring her, anyone, to disagree.

She gave a sad smile.

"I promise."

"You can trust me," he said more softly, looking at her earnestly.

"I…" she started, and she could tell how he hung on her words.

"I believe you," she said simply.

He took one of her hands, pulling her down to sit alongside him on the top stair.

She stared at their joined hands, marveling.

When she looked up again, he was studying her.

"I'm going to tell you everything. I need to tell you. I'm… I'm not as bad as you suppose me to be. What I was doing the other night, that Albus was helping me with, well if it makes you feel any better before I start your uncle, Harry, was behind me… I didn't bring Al into something that he didn't want to or agree with."

She nodded, and squeezed his hand with hers. His eyes shot down to look at them, before looking back up.

"Scorpius, I'm listening."

~-~

**8.**

The feeling of Scorpius' arm around her, hand curled around her waist, as they walked down the hallways was something that extended beyond how she'd begun to imagine it.

Albus was jabbering away on the other side of Scorpius, who laughed at one of his silly phrases.

Rose loved his laugh.

They were going home for summer holiday soon.

Although they came from opposite spectrums, she knew she would see Scorpius over the break.

Oh, no.

Rose froze in her steps. Scorpius automatically stopped, and as soon as Albus realized he was talking to air, he turned around too.

Scorpius was searching her face for a clue. "Rose? What's wrong?"

Eyes wide, she looked up at him, at his worried-filled eyes.

"My dad," she only said.

Albus broke into a laugh. "Oh, that'll be good. I am there the first time he comes to visit, you hear me, Rosie?"

Scorpius only smiled down at her softly. "Believe me," he grinned, looking down at her, "he's got nothing on my grandfather," and bent down to give her a kiss.

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AN: So, a little different for me. Please review, I don't know if this made sense enough.

Did you like it? I dunno... I kind of like it. I know, I dont' tell you what they were doing.

Yet.

Stay tuned for **PART II **yeah man...

**Review** and let me know what you think!


	2. Chapter 2

(AN: So, here's part ii. Hope you enjoy it, and the change of view point...

please please Read and** Review**. Now that the story is complete, I really want to know what you think of it all collectively, as a whole.

enjoy!)

* * *

**Starts With One**

**part ii**

He exhaled loudly, tremulously, and he was finished.

He didn't look at her, he felt exposed and vulnerable.

She didn't come for me, he reminded himself.

What she said next surprised him: _"Scorpius…"_

"_Thank you."_

~-~

**2. **

Unlike most people believed, he always felt like a trapped person.

His closed bed hangings trapped him inside the confines of his bed.

His house trapped his choice of friends.

His name trapped him inside an image he figured to be impossible to throw off.

Murmurings penetrated the heavy curtain, murmurings that had recently kept him up late at night, murmurings that had him feeling uneasy.

Some things are better off ignored. So was his doctrine, what he lived by, how he survived.

Be above it all. Pretend you don't care.

Don't care.

Slytherin house was not all that bad, he reckoned. Its reputation was not as bad as it used to be, but there were still those few lingering in the darkness.

It's where everyone expected him to be, so there he was trapped.

Snarky laughter sounded outside.

Scorpius silently slid the hangings apart. He made sure to leave on the side opposite from the ones he knew were up plotting.

He opened the door and left.

~-~

**6.**

He let her bustle in the door first, for she was the one on insisting upon sprinting up from the dungeons to get to Charms on time.

"I'm so sorry," he heard her apologizing, and he gave a small smile before strolling in with a smirk.

Her curly hair was pulled back today, and he distantly admired the red hue as he watched her explain to the professor why they were late.

"… and there was quite an explosion, you see sir, it knocked everything around on our desk, spilling things all over…"

He leaned against the wall behind her, eyes amusedly flickering over to watch her gesture with her hands as she made her sincerest apology in order to get out of a detention. It had worked last class too.

He chanced a wistful gaze at her. He wished that she would talk to him.

Or, more that she would want to. Having someone like Rose Weasley smile when he entered a room… why then he might almost be able to enjoy even the most boring History of Magic lesson.

But he didn't want to tell her… why get her involved when they would find out? He could imagine how angry they would be at him, he didn't even know the amount of trouble he would cause for himself. She didn't belong in the middle of it; he knew that she wouldn't keep it quiet because she would see it as cowardice to not step in when she saw a noble cause.

He admired that about her, but it would only get her in trouble with someone like him.

His eyes swept across his whispering classmates, no doubt enjoying the brief interruption, to find Albus staring at him quizzically.

When he realized that he was looking back, his eyebrow shot up at him, green eyes puzzled.

Scorpius just shook his head.

Albus frowned, but made a small gesture to the open seat next to him.

This time he was the one lifting an eyebrow.

Albus just rolled his eyes and nodded at his unspoken question: _"Me?"_

He shrugged, trying to hide a smile. He knew Albus had detected it though, as he returned with a smile of his own.

It was odd how now he and Albus Potter could now have a silent conversation together, when previously he'd completely written off any civil encounters with the family.

Funny what consequences actions could make.

"…well, I suppose that's fine then. Just you and Malfoy," -here the professor glanced around Rose to give him a stern stare- "should be sure not to make a habit of it. Take a seat."

Rose tried to hide her glance at him as she made to go down the row, but he saw it.

Pushing off the wall, he followed.

He was so frustrated that she didn't trust him.

Blinking, he realized that she had every reason not to trust him.

He just could not get away from it, could he?

She could at least try to trust her cousin.

He couldn't help but stare at the nape of her neck as she walked in front of him, and his eyes traced the lines of her back.

The tips of her ears flushed pink, and his mouth twisted into a wry smile.

At least she was aware of him.

With boxy movements, Rose suddenly sat down in a chair to her right.

The seat next to Albus.

Albus looked surprised too; he looked up at him with an apologetic glance, but Scorpius understood.

He knew that things between the normally close cousins right now were strained, and that it was his fault.

So he jerked his head, and moved on to the back of the class. It wouldn't be best to sit next to Alexander Nott. He took a desk to himself.

Sitting down, he looked at the tense back of Rose. The way she was turned slightly away from Albus proved to him that she didn't sit down because the two had made up; his staring was the cause.

Confirmed again as he caught her dark blue eyes flick back to meet his.

She frowned, and he frowned back, remembering their conversation earlier.

She wasn't like Albus. Well, they were both stubborn.

But Albus let you prove yourself. With Rose… she'd probably condemned him since the moment she heard the name and the house that followed.

Trapped yet again.

She turned back to face front.

~-~

**3.**

He was a mess.

He sat in a forgotten classroom, in the early, forgotten hours of the new day.

It was still dark.

He hadn't even dressed for bed last night, after he'd heard them, after they _asked_ him…

He shuddered and raked a hand through his hair.

Was he really going to do this?

He stared at the blank piece of parchment sitting, still innocent, on the desk in front of him, and fingered the quill in his hand.

No.

He could do this. He didn't have to be the same way.

_Dear Mr. Potter,_

_Take this as what you will, sir, for I am sure you're familiar with my family history, but I felt compelled to take some sort of action in light of things I have overheard. As skeptical as you may be, I swear that I am completely serious, and I'm not making this up in some in-the-moment heat of revenge; I hope you understand the difficulties this issue has aroused for me. _

_As a Malfoy, I was Sorted into Slytherin, which isn't all full of bad now, if you'd take my word for it, sir. However, a couple offspring of Death Eaters are here with me; Mulciber and Nott. As I'm sure you know- actually, sir, I think you put both in Azkaban- both of their fathers are in prison. Now, contrary as you might think, though I'm not trying to suppose how you think, sir, I'm just assuming due to popular conjecture, I am not friends with them, though we share a dormitory._

_Due to our closeness, relative to space, I'm privy to some of their… secrets. Normally, it's just family stuff, well, not threatening family stuff, but stuff that doesn't really matter in the long run._

_However, for the past two weeks, I have overheard them… discussing plans, after reading their mail right before I fall asleep._

_Judging by the depth of which they've spoken and read of their mail, I assumed they were fairly serious, but I wasn't sure. But when they asked me last night to pen my father for financial backing to give to their fathers' friends… I felt that it wasn't right to keep this quiet._

_As an Auror, and well, as you are Harry Potter, sir, and I have class with your son and niece, I realized that I could confide this in you, to do with the information as you wish. _

_From what I gather, their plan is…_

Scorpius continued writing, the sun almost peaking up, until he finally set his quill down.

He didn't think he could just send this through his owl. With all the mail that Harry Potter probably received, his letter would probably get lost.

Puzzled, he absently folded the letter while staring out the window.

However… he must always read mail from his children…

This created a new problem. How was he going to approach Albus Potter? Have him trust him?

~-~

**1.**

She was wearing her hair down, and the fact that they were sitting so near each other and yet he was unable to touch it was sure to kill him.

He should have figured she'd be the death of him first year when he followed the direction of his father's hard eyes to the two families standing a ways down the platform.

This situation was so impossible.

He'd never wanted to try for something so hard in his life than to gain the approval of Rose Weasley.

He just always found that he couldn't do it. He realized he'd fit himself into the form that people expected him to take: a Slytherin, a Malfoy, good at school, good at Quidditch, aloof, good-looking…

Life was easier when he knew what to expect; the pattern of his life was so written in his memory that during the day he barely had to think. Maybe he could make something different of himself, show others how he was different than they thought after Hogwarts, but this place was so ingrained in his family history, reasons for why things had happened they did because they had made it possible, that Scorpius couldn't find enough reserves of strength to counterbalance the weight of other people's doubt and uncertainty.

"Malfoy," came her lilting voice, and he wished they talked more almost so he could just listen to it, "could you pass me that red bottle over there?" she said without looking up.

He wished she would call him Scorpius.

"Yeah."

He reached over and picked it up, glancing back at her head bent over the cauldron as he did.

"Here," he said, holding the bottle in his hand closer to her, and their eyes met as she glanced up to locate the item and take it from him.

Their hands brushed as he gave the bottle to her.

Her eyes, her personality, there was always a wall up when she interacted with him, but he'd heard her talk to her friends to know that she was being especially reserved with him

He knew what to expect from Rose Weasley, but he found himself wishing he expected something else.

~-~

**4. **

How he started talking to Albus Potter, how they ended up having these late night chats, was a mystery to Scorpius, aside from knowing it had been difficult, nerve-wracking, and a scary thing to do. He remembered feeling so vulnerable.

It was most likely at least one in the morning, and he found himself again sitting with Albus in the kitchens, splitting an entire chocolate cake between the two of them, talking.

He watched Albus shovel in fork-full after fork-full of the dessert into his mouth, and with a small smile, he wondered where all of that food went. Albus looked like a stick.

Swallowing, Albus raised an eyebrow at him. "What you smiling at?" he demanded, his green eyes bright in amusement.

He just rolled his eyes at him. "You eat like a hippogriff," he declared monotonously, and Albus laughed.

Maybe it was that he felt like Albus didn't judge him. Or that it felt like he actually wanted to know who _he_ was, not wanting to assume what everyone else did. Regardless, Scorpius had not only told Albus about what he'd written in the still unsent letter, but stuff about his family and his life that he'd never disclosed to anyone.

They'd both decided that it would be better to wait and make for sure to send that letter; though Scorpius was pretty positive that something was going to happen, Albus didn't want to bother his father with just anything, and this gave Scorpius more time to acquire evidence.

"So," Albus said, leaning forward a bit in his seat. "They get any new mail?"

Scorpius' lips thinned. "Yeah, they did. They were talking about it before I left, and from what they said about it, it didn't sound good."

Albus hummed thoughtfully, his normally happy face serious as watched himself twirl his fork in the chocolate frosting.

Appraisingly, Albus looked back up at him.

"What?" Scorpius asked.

Albus looked at him a second longer before answering.

"You think you could get to those letters?"

Scorpius exhaled. There was an idea. If he could copy the letters, get the correspondence word for word… that would probably help out Mr. Potter more than only Scorpius' word. Though he supposed it would help now that he had Albus' too.

"I think so. I know where they keep them. Only…"

"Only what?"

"I don't want to get caught."

"We could do it at night, like around now."

"Yeah, but…"

"Still don't wanna be caught?"

"No. There's too much risk involved. The location is very, very close to where Nott sleeps…"

"I see."

"No, you don't. They're stuffed under his mattress."

"Oh," Albus said. Scorpius sighed. He watched Albus, fingers drumming, purse his lips thoughtfully before he spoke again.

"I think I have something that could help you," he said with a smile.

He raised his eyebrow. "Really?"

Albus nodded with a grin. "Yeah. Though…" he pursed his lips again, "if you want use use them, I'll have to come."

Scorpius grimaced.

Albus wrinkled his nose back. "Look, it's not that I don't trust you, mate, it's just that these are family heirlooms that I can't just give out. My family would have my head."

"Oh."

Albus smiled happily, and Scorpius wondered if he was perpetually this optimistic.

"So, tomorrow night good for you?"

Scorpius rolled his eyes before taking another bite of cake.

"Yeah, sure thing."

~-~

**5.**

"I don't want you to tell her," he ordered to Albus, who was trying to match his pace, as he strode down the hall.

"Scorpius, slow down," he pleaded, and unwillingly, he did.

"Are you sure?" he asked, a bit out of breath.

Scorpius knew that Albus would try to convince him, but he'd already decided with himself against it.

"Yes. She doesn't need to know."

Albus frowned, looking away before saying, "You know that she wouldn't tell anyone, right?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't need to be involved."

Albus contemplated this. "You really care for her, don't you?"

He just stared at him, but knew that Albus could read it in his eyes anyway.

"She doesn't need to be involved."

Albus frowned again. "If you want her to ever talk to you, you're going to have to open up. She won't take my word for it."

His eyes snapped back to Albus quickly.

"What have you told her?" he demanded.

Albus' eyes widened, and he held his hands up. "Nothing, I swear, just that you were a good person."

Scorpius sighed.

"She can't stand me, that's why it didn't matter."

Albus shook his head, and they kept walking.

~-~

**7.**

Opening up to Rose had been even harder than telling Albus.

They were sitting on the steps in the light, spring air. The night surrounded them, and he was still surprised that she'd bothered to come.

He supposed their familial ties were stronger than he thought. Rose just wanted to make sure he wasn't doing anything to hurt Albus.

He was, in one way, happy that she'd let go of his hand earlier, first so he could talk easier with the unconscious gestures, but now because his hands were trembling with the effort and frightening taste of freedom unloading all this pent up information for a second time.

He was finished now, and he exhaled shakily.

He didn't look at her.

At least she knew the truth now.

Maybe she could start to think of him in a better light now.

Maybe she would at least make things better with Albus. He owed both of them that.

Her next words surprised him.

"Scorpius…" she said, and his name on her lips made him feel.

"Thank you," she whispered sincerely, and he raised his eyes to meet hers.

Her eyes were filled with emotion, and she gave him a shy, grateful smile as they looked at each other.

She glanced away.

"You've been..." she struggled with the words before looking back at him, "more honest with me than I would have ever expected."

With a small smile, he just shook his head.

"I…" and after he knew how hard these words must have been for her to say, "I'm sorry. For coming off on you, and Albus too, like that, not trusting you when I knew Albus did, for everything…" she trailed off, and Scorpius had watched her enough to know that she was trying to hide a blush as she turned her head away.

"Hey," he said, briefly touching her shoulder, and she turned her head back to him.

"You don't have to apologize to me."

She shook her head.

Grasping onto the last bit of remaining courage, he took her hand again.

She smiled, and he smiled back.

Time passed before she spoke again.

"I'm really glad I decided to come out."

Gazing at her face and her hair in the moonlight, their joined hands, he had to agree.

"Me too."

~-~

**8.**

With a victorious grin, he found himself in the middle of the team hug hoping that she had actually come to watch him in this match.

They were pounding on the back of the small fourth year Seeker stuck in the middle, who was clutching the Snitch to his chest.

Scorpius liked to rib her on how unsupportive of him she was. Whenever he called her out on it, on missing his matches, her mouth would drop open and she would begin apologizing profusely: she'd been finishing that long essay, you know, the Tranfiguration one due tomorrow?, she fell asleep and woke up too late in the game for it to be worth going down, his personal favorite was that she got lost in the latest book she was reading and the thought completely slipped her.

He always forgave her.

She made him not being able to wait to wake up in the morning so he could meet her in front of her common room to walk down to breakfast together, despite his common room being located by the dungeons.

She made him smile regularly.

She made him feel warm and appreciated and _worth it_.

There was more to life than Quidditch, and he'd far rather have Rose Weasley holding his hand down the hallways than not.

* * *

AN: Well then, there it is, the finish.

Please, it doesn't take long, **just click the button and review.** I hope that the second part answered your questions from the first!

**please review!**


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